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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]-Stop asking “do I need this?” and instead ask “can I live without this item? If I did not have this item what would I use instead?”

-get rid of any non-seasonal item you haven’t used in 3 months.

-get rid of any holiday/seasonal item you did not use the previous season.

-don’t get bogged down with the best place to sell or donate your crap. If it’s quick and easy to sell or donate, fine. But otherwise just trash it so you don’t lose momentum/motivation. The real goal is to get decluttered so that you feel the reward and don’t seek new stuff. It’s a pattern shift. [/quote]

What if you can't get past the idea of throwing everything in the trash? I'm not a hoarder by any means, am basically organized, but when faced with the detritus of modern living, I hate to think of it sitting in a landfill. [/quote]
You have to get past it. Give yourself permission and then vow to buy less and contribute less to the landfill. Sometimes you have to trash things. If you've ever cleaned out an entire house, you know there's just no getting around it. Also, I used to volunteer at a thrift shop. No one wants broken, incomplete, ripped, moldy, smelly or stained things, even people who can't afford more. There are some things that need to be thrown away. It's not healthy to hand onto things in the hope if their future use by someone. [/quote]

I have a hard time with the landfill thing too. I try to deal with it by giving away a reasonable amount and then buying less. DH and I try to see if we can keep our trash can at 50% every week when we put it out. [/quote]

I'm thinking of things like outdated electronics that no longer have a practical use, all of the plastic crap you get from kid birthday parties and events, a well-loved power wheels that won't work again, worn-out markers, shoes and clothes beyond repair. Again, I don't think this is a function of overconsumption so much as it's simply the waste that is left behind when an item becomes obsolete. These are the things that I hate trashing - not because I still want it in my house, not because it's been acquired without forethought. I'm not going to become an off the grid homesteader, but I guess my unrealistic desire is that more of our necessities and household items were meant to last longer. Everything is plastic and reaches a "just trash it" point.[/quote]

I take your point, but what else can be done with a worn-out marker? It is trash no matter where you put it. Your holding onto it in your home isn't keeping it out of the trash, it's just delaying the day on which it ends up in the trash.

PPs are absolutely right---if this is the kind of thing that bothers you, the time to consider it is BEFORE you bring it into your home. Look for necessities and household items that last longer, have multiple uses, can be easily recycled and make sure you buy those if they exist. Avoid buying plastic as much as possible. But the stuff that is already trashed in your home is already trash, so you might as well put it where the trash goes.[/quote]

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